1. Field of the Invention
Various aspects of the present invention relate to controlling delivery of multimedia information in a plurality of languages to a multimedia entertainment system.
2. Description of the Related Art
A typical television remote control has multiple predefined buttons. A remote control is used to control settings and display of video on a television screen and playing of audio on a television speaker. The remote control sends a control signal to the television when buttons of the remote control are selected. The control signal triggers the television to perform one or more functionalities in accordance with the selected buttons. The remote control interacts with the television using infrared or radio frequency transmission. Range of an infrared transmission and radio frequency transmission is typically a few meters.
The television is used to view or listen to videos and audios sourced by television channel broadcasters. Cable TV (television) broadcasters and satellite TV broadcasters typically allow the television to receive channels via a set top box. A user, via direct interaction or via a remote control device, controls the set top box. The set top box provides information via the television screen and/or the television speaker. The user looks back and forth between the remote control and the television screen to locate buttons of the remote control and input selection. The television is used to view or listen to videos and audios played on a VCD (Video Compact Disc) player, a DVD (Digital Video Disc) player, etc. The remote control is used to control settings of the VCD player and the DVD player as well.
Some of these media sources, such as media broadcasters, provide a program in more than one language. The television typically receives the program in a single language and plays the received program on the television speaker. Most of the time, the language in which the television receives the program is predefined. This arrangement is not ideal, for example, in a public area or in a multi-lingual family setting where more than one person, each having a preference for a respective language, is watching the program on the television.
DVDs and VCDs, for example, sometimes contain a movie with multiple audio tracks corresponding to a video track. The multiple audio tracks correspond to an audio portion of the movie recorded and stored in different languages. A remote control that controls settings of the DVD player causes an audio portion of the movie stored on the DVD to be heard in a single language on a speaker to which the DVD player is connected.
Further limitations and disadvantages of conventional and traditional approaches will become apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art through comparison of such systems with various aspects of the present invention.